Disclaimer: Not mine, no money, Don't sue.
Also: We do not own Grandia (excellent video game BTW, tons of cool plot!), nor do we own Slayers (Tho we blatantly abuse their character's names…), or Redord of Lodoss War, Tolkien's stories, or Square's Final Fantasy Series (But we love creative and varied Fantasy stories and borrow bits and pieces…) A Midsummer Night's Dream or Fushigi Yuugi (Yet we're not above bastardizing their characters…) nor Ranma 1/2, The Neverending Story, and of course Digimon Adventure! ^_^ We're not making money, so none of you mind this, ne?
31. ~_~ YAMATO
We struggled over the grudging crest of the last hill that stood between us and our goal (namely the end of our journey...The Kamiya Duchy), all of us breathless and haggard, wanting to lynch the Duke from the nearest tree, and yet still happy beyond words that we had finally made it. We didn't have any real clue that this was certainly not the end of our journey...But we clung to the feeble hope like city rats to a prime piece of garbage. But, as we arrayed ourselves to look down upon the citadel, our hearts and hopes crumbled. This would not be easy.
Thunderheads adamantly clouded the sky above it, (the moat especially, it seemed to me), casting telltale shadows on the age-old stone that made up the central spire, and, even shadows as they were, chill winds whispering through the trampled and brittle grass seemed to be their whispers, futile dapples of light twisted to be evil, scolding eyes. I snatched TK's collar as he turned around, saying, "Well, nobody can say we didn't try."
Wizard Izumi even sighed, and pursed his lips in heavy thought. "Well...Only about an hour left. Let's make it count...." And here we all thought he would faint. But, surprisingly, he held himself together and took a fateful step in the direction of the accursed moat- I mean duchy. I hate my life...
So We trod over the dead, whispering grass, towards the forsaken place, wordless, except for the blithering Duke...And we all strained not to murder him then and there.
"Oh, my, this place looks familiar..." He intoned. An arrow neatly whirred over his head, and Takeru vowed to improve his aim.
And not long afterwards, I was slapped awake by an exhasperated Izumi...On the other side of the moat.
"Ow!! What was that for!?!?"
"You freaked out when we had to cross the moat."
"Oh..."
"Yeah."
"Um."
"Oh, look, my faithful companions! A moat!!!"
This last statement was exclaimed by the Duke. Everyone else turned a horrible green shade, and I'd stake my life on the fact that I did too.
So, we crossed the...the water.... And ran through the open gates, to a large, open stone chamber with a spiralling staircase at one of it's far corners. Did I mention that there were people there, too? Oh, yes! This place was guarded. Rather heavily.
"Oh, $H!T!!!"
"Takeru, watch you mouth!"
And the five, no, seven, wait, there were more... armed, armored, and a few not-quite-human things unsheathed their glittering, perfect, straight blades in glittering unison. And charged us in one of those earth-quaking teeth-shattering, scream-filled charges that make big, hulking, fearless, war-seasoned veterans hug their teddy bears and call for their mommies.
But, you couldn't save a damsel and look heroic hugging a teddy bear, so, in a blaze of knightly inspiration, (also known as stupidity), I whipped out my chipped and somewhat-battered sword, my brother following in example, and, at the call of "Three!" we rushed back at them.
It was an awesome den of confusion, helmeted faces at my right and left, arms rising and falling in attempts to hack me limb from limb. And then...And then I transcended physical laws, and let my sword lead me in all that exhilerating blood-lust, and spun around, twistched my wrist this or that way, jabbed to the left, darted forward and to the right, finding just the right nicks and holes in highly polished armor to make figures drop all around me, and I flashed my teeth in what I knew was a rather feral grin, and dashed to the stairs. And ground to a halt before I had gone past step two.
I gulped, my hands quavering on the hilt of my blade. A low, quiet laugh bounced off the stone walls, and all that relished courage left me. It wasn't human...That was for sure. It towered over me, a sword as tall as I clasped easily in it's gauntleted claws, a helmet masking it's face...but two assuredly red eyes leered at me. I stumbled a step back, and the thing careened down at me, torchlight glancing off it's black armor. The huge blade lifted, swept down in a beautiful, unhindered arc down for my throat, and I stumbled back, a sharp pain just under my chin. I felt a trickle of warm, stickly liquid run down in streamlets to my collarbone. I'd almost been decapitated.
Weakly, in movements so slow I was digusted with myself, I hefted my own pitifully small sword and slashed, hacked, used every trick I knew, to drive him back, yet soon I found myself back amidst the main battle...and as I ducked, dodged, parried, I spared a look for my companions.
"Bastard!Bastard!Bastard!Bastard!Bastard!Bastard!Bastar-" Two poor soldiers were getting slapped slowly unconscious by an infuriated Mimi...I blinked, and my gaze roved on over the fallen bodies.
"Oh..? You like floweres, too?!?" The Duke shrieked happily to a scrawney, pale, shakind, bladeless guard. My steps faltered.
Izumi, I noted, was pleadingly asking Mimi to please stop slapping the poor defenseless guards and not to kick them in the- oh, well, too late, and he winced.
Now, I found my brother, who was engrossed in a single battle with one of the very few remaining guards, his slender form darting and weaving with it's particular grace, the shimmer of his sword matching that of his opponent stroke for stroke. I was, actually, a little proud.
"Nice weather we're having, ne?" My brother commented cheerfully. Thrust.
"Oh, yes! Perfect for getting a tan." The guard replied solemnley. Clang.
"Of course!! I plan to get a good one when our mission is all over." Dodge.
"Well, best of luck, than! Hope to see you at the beaches!" Parry.
I sweatdropped, and returned to the task at hand. I was now cut, superficially, in more places than I'd like to know, my breathing short and quick, while my oponent...Well...I hadn't even landed a singular hit on him, as of yet...And it became annoying, that I was so slow, so witless, that I couldn't hit such a great hulking mammoth.
I snarled, and ducked his newest slash, bringing my blade in a neat, efficient arc under it to ram the point into the mask, not enough to break through, but cause a very pretty dent. My small victory was greeted with a throaty roar that swore vengeance, and he gripped the huge sword in both hands, crouching before lunging at me, shoulder first. I paled, and did the only thing possible in such a situation. I dropped to the floor, the beast running straight past me, and while his momentum carried him forward, I flipped up, sword in hand, and two neat sliced awarded the chinks in the back of his armor- a dull green ooze started to seep through, as he turned back to face me, and I wondered if that was it's substitute for blood...But those thoughts quickly deserted me as it lurched forward, murder glowing in it's eyes.
I quavered, but raised my sword, ducking under a quick slash again meant for my head, over another meant for my feet, and I leaned forward- this was my only chance!- as he prepared for another, fatal swing, aimed to cleave through my middle- and shoved the tip of my sword through the chink in between it's breastplate and helmet, through it's neck. Searing hot, foul-smelling green stuff spewed out of the rent I hand made, splattering my face. The thing choked, spluttered, crashed to it's knees...And I shoved the blade in harder.
After it stopped twitching, a withdrew my sword...and cleaned it solemnly on a nearby tapestry that had been torn.
32. ^_~ KOUSHIROU
I was beginning to think we would never finish ascending the tower, with having to stop every other step to fight some random guard platoon. It was getting just a little ridiculous.
But finally, we had made it. Our small ragtag group stood in front the large iron-bound door that would (or at least SHOULD) lead us to the end of our quest.
Captain Yamato spent a moment gazing at the door in unspeakable relief and just a little bit of apprehension. Takeru mirrored his brother.
"My, this place looks familiar…" the Duke commented fingering a tapestry hanging on the stone wall. "You know, I have a wall hanging JUST like this one… I wonder if it's from the same company."
Mimi twitched visibly beside me. "Yamato…" she growled, "Open the damn door so we can hurry up and ditch this Bastard!" The bardess looked pointedly at His 'Grace'.
Apparently no further incentive was required. The young knight and squire grasped the large iron door, swung it open and stepped into the Royal Bedchamber.
"Shit."
"Watch you're mouth," came the reflexive reply.
With out warning there a was a sudden explosion of metal on metal. Another battle!? With whom? I strained to see but The Duke and Mimi where blocking the threshold. It's times like these where I seriously regret my lacking in the height department.
"Might I inquire what's going on?" I yelled above the din. Instead of answering my question Mimi-chan grabbed me by my collar and hauled me inside.
An Ogremon! Jyou had most likely placed the Ogremon in the Royal Bedchamber to guard the Duchess. The grotesque snaggletoothed monster raised his spiked club high and smashed it into the stone floor. It would have made a rather nasty bloody mess if it wasn't for the brothers' swift reflexes.
"WAIT!!" Mimi screamed.
The fighters all stopped in mid swing and looked at her.
"WE'VE ONLY GOT," She pulled out her stop watch and quickly did the math, "5 MINUTES TILL DUCHESS SORA BECOMES A PERMANENT PIGEON PERCH!"
We all blinked at her and she just smiled sweetly, "You can continue now."
Mimi-chan plopped down beside me as I hovered over an ornate writing desk littered with the de-petrifaction spell ingredients. The fight still went on in the background with the loud clashing of metal, smashing stone or furniture and the occasional thundering roar from ogre. It was giving me a headache.
"Any luck?" she asked looking at her watch. "3 minutes by the way."
"No pressure," I muttered putting my head in my hands.
"I'll take that as a 'no'."
"And you would be correct," came my stressed reply..
"Well, lets see what we have here." Grinning, the bardess wrapped her arms around my shoulders, clasping her hands under my chin, and leaned over my shoulder to scrutinize the objects the on the table. I felt my face grow hot. She was just a little too close. "Um, Mimi.."
She ignored me. "Well, you have blood, tears, and a feather."
"And a Orihalcon." I added.
"Orihalcon?" She scanned the table. "I don't see one..."
A small statue flew over our heads, smacked into the wall in front of us and fell on the table. I hoped it wasn't broken.
"Thanks Yama." Mimi called back absently, still obviously thinking about something.
"No problem" He yelled back and returned to the fight.
I was stumped. Now what? I've got the ingredients, I know the incantation... what else had Wizard Mon said? Oh, that's right, he didn't say... I mumbled a few choice words that I probably shouldn't have used around Mimi-chan, but I had the feeling she'd heard worse. Still... "I'm still lacking as to what it is we must achieve for this spell."
Mimi-chan nodded and ducked some flying shrapnel from the battle that was taking place behind our backs. "Well, there was this one story I'd heard from someone who claimed to be a fellow bard... I still think he was a warlock trying to escape that angry mob... But regardless, his story seems to apply to our situation. It spoke of someone who had be cursed by a Cockatrimon concoction and was turning to stone..."
I rolled my eyes, "Sounds somewhat familiar..."
Mimi-chan gaped a bit, "You made a joke... was that a joke?"
I cleared my throat, "Ahem.. the time."
Mimi-chan blinked, "Oh, right, one and half minutes."
"Okay so give me the Cliff Notes version of what he told you."
I had no idea anyone could talk that fast and with such accuracy, too. I wondered if all bards had to learn to do that.
"Right." Gathering the ingredients into my arms, I dropped to the floor, whipped out my chalk and drew a magic circle onto the stone floor.
"50 seconds" Mimi intoned looking at her watch.
Okay okay...place the statue in the middle... grab the holy knife and... "Oh, wait, that's a priest spell," I tossed the knife over my shoulder and went about the rest of the spell...trace the rim of the circle with the blood and tears. Place the feather in front of the statue and...we're set.
I suddenly heard a loud roar, "RRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR--- *Thud*"
I looked over my shoulder to the Ogremon suddenly slump and fall the ground, face up. Yamato and Takeru stood stunned, swords still drawn, but drooping. Mimi-chan blinked in surprise, while the Duke still admired the familiar decorating, pawing a colorful tapestry on the wall. Looking again, I saw my holy knife imbedded in the Ogremon's forehead to the hilt. Yamato quietly added, "Nice shot..."
I laughed nervously and was about to reply when...
"30 seconds"
Shimatta! Okay, now the incantation...what was it...? um.. "Mana of the earth, sky, rivers and flame, release the powers that..."
"20 seconds"
"eh.." I paused, startled that she was still keeping track, "err... um..."
"15 seconds"
Shimatta, "Powers that control the realms of flesh and life," I rushed through the words, "Bestow your mercy upon this vessel..."
"10 seconds"
"etc... etc.. *SPELLBIND*!!!!" I called out.
Mimi-chan cast me a sidelong glance, "'etc... etc...?' Are you sure about this?"
"Well, I'm kinda pressed for time here!" I poised my hands around the wet, blood-stained statuette and felt the magic channel through me to power the spell. I watched enraptured as the pools of blood and tears slowly took on a will of their own and rose up timidly and begin to circle about the Orihalcon, balanced precariously in the center of the glowing magic circle. More quickly now, the liquids swirled about the statuette as the feather placed before the Orihalcon suddenly shot up and above the statuette causing a rather violent reaction. Time seemed to slow down as I gazed on, fascinated, while a bright light filled my vision followed by a resounding explosion.
After the smoke cleared, I shook myself free of the stray shrapnel. Standing, I brushed myself off and sighed with relief as I saw Mimi-chan, Sir Yamato, and Takeru pull themselves up from the rubble. I sighed, but not with relief, as I saw Duke Kamiya also stand up from the explosion....
The Ogremon's body had apparently disintegrated... Then it hit me. "Oh, the Duchess!"
Mimi-chan paled, "What if it didn't work...? What if we weren't in time?"
Yamato scowled, "We sure shaved it close enough, we had a week to do this and we dragged it out to the last second."
"Ohhh."
We all turned to see Duchess Sora stand and brush some rubble off of her dress.
"Yatta! It worked!" Mimi-chan hugged me.
I smiled smugly, "Hmph, see, I knew 'etc etc' would work."
33. $_$ MIMI
"MY SORA-CHAN!"
I had to dive out of the way as the huge big haired freak that was the Duke tackled the poor hapless Duchess to the ground in the heap of arms, legs and ridiculously expensive fabric. Poor Sora. I wonder how she lives with him...
I heard a grunt behind me. When I recoiled I must have hit someone. Who...
"AH! My Kou-chan!" I whipped around to face him, but the hem of my green skirts caught on the sharp edge of some debris (It used to be the desk I think). I promptly lost my balance and found myself in the lap of my deeply blushing and very shocked Kou-chan.
"A...Ano..." he stuttered, shifting uncomfortably.
[ Author's note: 'Ano' is Japanese for 'Excuse me' and is often used as an expression of surprise or to get someone's attention]
Oh! He's so cute when he's blushing! I decided to capitalize on this opportunity or at least I would have, if not for the fact that Captain Yamato had decided to come over and see if I was okay.
"Are you two okay?" Yamato kneeled down next to us with a very sardonic smile.
Takeru wasn't far behind and popped in over his shoulder with a mimicking expression as if he was enjoying the chance to ruin MY chance, "Hey, what're you two up to?"
I'd swear you'd think I'd planned it or something... well, okay, maybe I did... just a little... ANYWAY, I tugged my dress free of the offending shrapnel and lifted my self above the boys with a smile, "We're fine, we were just discussing the mechanics of the spell, ne Kou-chan?" I said with a wink.
My Kou-chan repeated with his usual cuteness, "A.... Ano..." Cute, yes... Articulate? Not at the moment....
Of course, Yamato's smile became more sadistic and Takeru's curiosity seemed even more peeked... Not quite the way I wanted this to turn out, but at least the adventure was finally over. We had saved the Duchess and I could go back to life as per normal... and solve some of these problems my poor Kou-chan has expressing himself...
Our little group had grown quiet, and my ears picked up voice behind me...
It was the Duke.... and he was... spouting poetry? It was a rather complex poem, I heard of it before during my years training to be a bardess. It was so complex that at the time, even *I* couldn't memorize it, and here the Duke(baka) was spouting it as if he'd written it himself! I shuddered at the thought. I stared on in absolute shock as the four of us turned our gaze to see Duke Kamiya knelt graciously before the newly-animated Duchess, eloquently reciting the delicate words of the ancient sonnet.
My poor Kou-chan would've screamed, but young Takeru clasped his hand over his mouth in time to stop him.
The Duke finished and kissed his wife's hand, she blushed deeply.
"Ano..." we all said in unison.
The two stopped staring at one another and the Duchess' eyes widened in shock, "Oh no! That's right! There's no time!" Duchess Sora Takenouchi turned to us, Captain Yamato specifically and quickly explained, "You've got to hurry!"
Sir Yamato blinked, confused, "Huh? What're you talking about, ma'am?"
"It's that blasted alchemist, JOE! He's storming Queen Kari's castle, and she's been left without her royal wizard and Captain of the Guard!" Her Grace explained quickly.
The young Duke solemnly placed his hand on his wife's shoulder, "Don't worry dear," he consoled, "This is a very competent group!"
I felt my jaw go slack. I looked to Yamato to see if this was a normal occurrence, but he looked very unmoved, if not a bit annoyed, "Of course... he's only like this when he's around Duchess Sora..." he commented flippantly.
Physically lifting my jaw and placing it back into its hinge, I tried to adjust to the idea that Duke Kamiya was intelligent, but also I was a bit perturbed... I knew there was going to be ONE MORE THING! No, we couldn't just save the damsel in distress, no these stories never end like that, I should know these things! I TELL stories like this! In fact, this would make a very good one, I should write this down!
From beneath me, I heard a small voice, "Ano..."
"Oh, Kou-chan!" I reached down to pick him up off of the floor as he turned his attention to the Duchess.
"Your Grace, do you recall how long ago the evil alchemist Joe left for Her Highness' Palace?" Kou-chan asked, calculating, he's so cute when he's being serious!
The Duchess seemed stressed by this question, "About four days ago," she said quietly, "You'll never be able to catch up to him on foot, and you've only got..." she paused.
Yamato recomposed himself and quickly did the math, "Oh no, that means we've only got TWO CHAPTERS TO GET THERE!!"
Takeru gasped, "ONLY TWO!? It took us thirty-one chapters just to get here!"
Yamato sneered, "Less than two actually... we're REALLY pressed for time."
I walked over to the Captain, "Oh, surely we can think of SOMETHING to help us get there ahead of Joe, he's not exactly the brightest alchemist in the chem lab..."
The Duchess looked at me quizzically, as if noticing me for the first time. Which would be understandable considering how often I've seen Taichi act sane... that's got to be distracting! Her Grace smiled at Yamato, "Captain?" she inquired, "Who is this? Is this fine young lady you're newest consort?"
This time is was Sir Yamato's turn to say, "Ano..."
"Well,' The Duchess went on, "What ever happened to Rei? Or Kasumi? She was such a nice girl. Or Ryoko and Nanami? Yashiko? She was so bright. Asuka? Miyaka? Akane? She wasn't the best cook I heard but she was sweet. Or Ritsuko? Umi-chan? That nice bar maid Ukyou? Eiko? Minako? Yumiko? Or what about Kokoko? Kagome was such an intelligent girl... Or Makoto? Hotaru? Sakura? Tomoyo? Akemi? Arashi? Kotori? Or what about that one girl... what was her name?"
Yamato blushed bright red and supplied her with the name, "Tomaiyonishitaruko."
The duchess grinned and continued, "Yes, she was very lovely, odd name however... what happened to her and the others, like Setsuna or Jun or Paruko or Yukemi or Reiko or..." Finally someone stopped her.
Yamato quietly spoke up, "Um... well, we kinda broke up after a while and I guess they're all doing okay..."
The duchess smiled sweetly, "Well, what about her, is she your new one? What's her name? How did you meet?"
"Well, you see..." he started.
"She's with me!" my Kou-chan spoke up rather loudly, dashing up to stand between me and Sir Yamato.
The Duchess look a little taken aback. I, on the other hand, was quite happy with the declaration and subtly showed my appreciation.
"Oh KOU-CHAN!!" I grabbed him up in a hug, "That's so sweet." If there was any doubt about whether Kou-chan was mine or not was completely obliterated at this point. The story could now continue in peace.
"Ano...Shouldn't we return to the matter at hand?"
We all turned to see who had spoken. It was The Duke. I still couldn't get over the sudden rush of brains he seemed to have acquired.
I turned to Yamato and my Kou-chan, "What's with him?" I whispered.
"Well," my Kou-chan replied, "I have a theory. Maybe the sight of his beloved Sora being returned to life has shaken him from a deeply rooted shock and that he wasn't all that bad to begin with..." My poor Kou-chan was cut short by piercing glares from Takeru and Yamato. "err... maybe it's something else..."
"Umm... remember, you only have two chapters to get there," The Duchess informed us.
"Less," Yamato corrected.
"Alright," Duchess Takenouchi admitted, "LESS than two chapters to get there before it's too late to help the Queen. How on earth are you going to get there in time?"
My Kou-chan spoke up, "Ano... well... I COULD try a Teleportation spell... that would get us there in plenty of time to stop Joe."
Yamato and I stared at him, concerned, I spoke, "Are you up to a Teleportation spell with FOUR people across a five chapter trek?"
"Yeah," Yamato agreed, "I mean, one person is nothing. Two takes a bit more energy. But four across that distance would pretty much render you useless on the other side. And after what happened a few days ago..." Yamato let it hang.
I could see the distress that crept across my Kou-chan's worried face, I clutched his shoulder tightly, "Don't worry, we'll find some other way to get there quickly, I'm sure. I mean, what about on horseback?"
Takeru shook his head, "Same problem, we still won't be able to get there fast enough...How about flying?"
Yamato sighed, "That's like the Teleportation spell. Too much energy involved. Unless of course you have helicopter in your back pocket."
"Well actually, I do, I keep it there in case of emergency. But it's broken. That whole water thing shorted it out." The captain's younger brother explained.
"Which leaves us where we were," Duchess Sora sighed.
"Do you have any flying carpets handy?" my Kou-chan asked.
Duchess Sora replied, "No, they're all so old and moth-eaten, with the circuits rotted away, you'd fall right through them!"
"Well, there is one thing that you all have overlooked," came an unfamiliar voice.
We turned to see the Duke standing calmly and solemnly, sipping tea, with a very amused expression on his young face, "The river."
"The WHAT!?!?!" The two blondes screamed in unison, hiding behind one another.
Duke Kamiya ignored them and we were too shocked to stop him from continuing, "Yes, the river runs downstream to the Palace of my younger sister, if you find the right mount, you could easily overtake *ahem* _Joe's_ forces before they reach the castle. Thus, my sister would stand a fighting chance."
The Duchess smiled sweetly, "Oh, prefect idea, dear, but what kind of mount?"
Yamato and Takeru had since both turned pale white in color, including their hair and clothing...
The Duke flashed a smile, "Why the Seadras, of course!"
Takeru fainted.
Sora frowned, "Oh, the Seadras... yes, they're big enough to carry people, but they're much too slow to overtake Joe before the two chapters are up."
"Yeah," Yamato added enthusiastically, "She's right, listen to the woman, I mean, Her Grace!"
The Duke smiled mischievously, "Oh, don't worry, the Seadras will be quite expedient enough, you see, they're RACING SEADRAS!!!"
Yamato was suddenly encased in a block of ice, literally, and fell to the ground and crumbled into several pieces. He stood up and shouted, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! NOT THE RACING SEADRAS!!!!! I BEG YOU!"
I couldn't understand why Yamato was so against the idea. Even though the Duke had suggested it, I knew that Racing Seadras were incredibly fast animals that could be our best and only hope of getting to Queen Kari's Palace in time to stop the evil alchemist Joe. I noticed my Kou-chan nodding as he listened to the idea, apparently pleased with the idea.
"I think it's a wonderful idea, dear," the Duchess complimented her husband, "Then it's settled?" she asked, "No objections?"
Yamato screamed.
The Duchess smiled, "Good, then let's get started."
Yamato turned to the authors and pleaded, "DON'T LET THEM DO THIS TO ME!?!?!? DO I *REALLY* DESERVE THIS!?!?"
The Duke ignored him and walked over to where I was watching Yamato plead to the powers that be, a. k. a. : the authors. Duke Kamiya gave me a stern glance, "The only problem with the Racing Seadras is that to summon them, we need a Songstress, and the last one we had tried to take over the Duchy, so we had to get rid of her..."
Takeru grinned, "I still say you should've paid her more, Yamato, she almost managed it."
Yamato was too busy trying to coerce the authors to reply, though.
"DON'T!! PLEASE!! NOT RACING SEADRAS! REMEMBER THE MOAT INCIDENT!?!?? NOOOOO!! OH MY GOD!!!!!"